On dating apps, men use AI to put their best face forward
How much AI is too much when it comes to finding love on the apps? "It's very subtle," one dating app user said of his AI-enhanced photos.
Key points
- Women on dating apps report seeing AI-generated or AI-edited photos in men's profiles.
- A dating consultant uses AI to subtly alter clients' photos, but declines requests to misrepresent them.
- Hinge banned a user after he posted an AI-generated sunset photo, and he later deleted it.
Women on dating apps are increasingly encountering profiles with photos that appear to be AI-generated or digitally altered. Marissa, a 31-year-old Boston resident, told CBS News she routinely sees such images on apps like Bumble, including one of a man in a suit tiling a bathroom wall. She said the changes are often minor, but sometimes the entire photo looks AI-created.
The trend has raised questions about authenticity in online dating. Kathryn Coduto, a Boston University assistant professor who studies dating apps, said AI has made people more wary and skeptical of others, especially strangers. She noted that men appear more likely than women to use AI to enhance their dating profiles.
How AI is used
Lana Li, a Brooklyn-based dating consultant who calls herself a digital stylist, uses AI to help men improve their dating app photos. She told CBS News she might change a client's outfit, hairstyle, or body language using tools like ChatGPT and FaceApp. Li said she keeps edits subtle, such as slightly lifting the corner of someone's mouth to make them look friendlier.
However, Li said she declined a client's request to digitally place his head on a marathon runner's body. She told him she could not work with him if he wanted to misrepresent himself. Two men who spoke anonymously to CBS News said they have used AI in their dating photos but believe the edits remain true to who they are.
People want authentic connections and conversations. I think AI has made people more wary and skeptical of others, especially people they don't know.
— Kathryn Coduto
Dating app policies
Most popular dating apps have policies limiting AI-generated images. Hinge states on its website that people should be able to discern fact from fiction, and its AI policy says generative images should not misrepresent users. The company uses automated tools and human reviewers to detect and remove prohibited material.
A Match Group spokesperson told CBS that as generative AI evolves, the company is watching closely and listening to daters who want more transparency and authenticity. Bumble also prohibits inauthentic profiles and uses AI-powered tools, human moderation, and member reporting to enforce its rules, with penalties up to permanent bans. Marissa said when she sees AI hallmarks in photos, she moves on, adding that the dating pool is already challenging.
